Join us in the ECO Action Hub from 10:00 – 12:00 on 16th December 2023
A drop in session to help you build your own nest box and take home for your garden!
No prior knowledge of building boxes or of using the right tools is required
Bisham Nest Box Group will bring all equipment and tools you need to build nest boxes.
From Bisham Nest Box Group: We are a small, not-for-profit volunteer group making nest boxes for garden birds, owls, raptors, swifts, hedgehogs, bats and bees. We just ask for a donation to cover the cost of the materials. Bisham Nest Box Group
In the ECO Action Hub from 10:00 to 12:00 Saturday 16th December. Drop in!
We recently posted about the RBWM’s Sustainability SPD Consultation (here). If you just want to provide a quick response, we suggest you use our handy “How To” guide (here).
For those with more time and interest in how the SPD can be made better we’ve now got more detailed responses linked here to help you shape your feedback to RBWM! This edition has a particular focus on Energy Efficiency, Climate Adaptation and Sustainable Construction.
If you are short on time then you can simply copy and paste the last three columns of the table in the document (Section, Para, Suggested Text) into Box 5 of the Representation Form and email to planning.consultation@rbwm.gov.uk. Those items where ‘Push for change’ is highlighted in red are our priorities.
It would be really great if you can complete the submissions using the forms and information we’ve provided. The more RBWM hear from all of us as residents, the better informed they will be to make sound decisions.
To see all our posts about the Sustainability SPD please click here.
The BBC’s Planet Earth III is now on television and iPlayer.
Presented by Sir David Attenborough it’s a fascinating journey to the far reaches of our planet. It follows some of the world’s most amazing species, telling extraordinary stories that are dramatic, thrilling, funny and sometimes heart-breaking, but always full of hope.
For anyone who cares about the climate and biodiversity … it’s a must-watch!
We posted last week about the RBWM’s Sustainability SPD Consultation. (See here).
For any of our supporters (YOU!) that are keen to respond but are short of time, here is a detailed “How To” guide. Helping you to make best use of your time and respond in what we consider a most appropriate fashion to get to desired outcomes within RBWM!
Here’s a summary of what you will find there:
Why Engage: We want to live in a Borough that is zero carbon and rich in nature. When developments take place, we want them to help us achieve this. The Sustainability SPD will direct and guide planners and developers towards this.
What Best Informs: The SPD needs to include: clear Intent (a sense of urgency & confidence the SPD will deliver RBWM targets), meaningful Content (the SPD needs to remain current and relevant in our changing world). And must be Ambitious (to ensure the Borough’s critical climate goals are reached and the SPD delivers)
How to make a difference: Experience shows we are more successful in achieving change when we clearly target specific sections of the document subject to consultation. It is also just as important to support those sections of the draft SPD that show true ambition.
We will be providing specific guidance on the Eco Action website in the next fortnight to help you to do this. Deadline for your response to the consultation is 27th November 2023.
Here again is the link to the “How To” guide. Thank you.
In June 2019, RBWM declared an environment and climate emergency. It enshrined the target of net zero carbon emissions in the borough by 2050, in line with Government policy.
A Sustainability SPD is one of the key actions identified in the Environment and Climate Strategy 2020-2025, to help shape development towards net zero carbon, protect and enhance the natural environment, drive carbon reductions in the borough and deliver wider climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The Council has now prepared the draft Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for public consultation. The consultation will run for six weeks from Monday 16 October 2023 until midnight on Monday 27 November 2023.
Whilst the ECO Action Hub is working with a consortium to help influence and update the Sustainability SPD you also as residents have the opportunity to comment and respond to the consultation … However, we will shortly be providing guidance here on how best to do so, to save you the trouble of reading all 86 pages, and to maximise the impact we can collectively have.
Join us for a fun and interactive family workshop, where we will use collage art to explore ways to create a brighter future for ourselves and our loved ones. This event is all about coming together as a community and envisioning a better tomorrow.
We will engage in various activities and discussions aimed at inspiring positive change. From brainstorming ideas to sharing personal experiences, we will encourage everyone to actively participate and contribute their unique perspectives.
Whether you are a parent, grandparent, or a child, this workshop is open to all ages. Together, we will explore topics such as sustainability, personal growth, and fostering a sense of community. By the end of the event, we hope to leave you feeling inspired and motivated to make a difference. And take home some commemorative collages!
Our interactive workshop in the Hub is for children and adults of any age. Inspired by Rob Hopkins Imaginarium. It starts at 10:30 and will finish around 12:00 on 23rd September
It’s for people of any age from 7 to 77 (or more) and it gets parents and children working together around the table, and sharing thoughts, fears, ideas and a feeling of success.
Come and join us at ECO Action Hub – The Nicholson Shopping Centre for a workshop filled with laughter, learning, and connections. Let’s imagine a brighter future together!
Join Waltham Place Garden Team for a walk around the Kitchen Garden and Market Garden to see how they manage their productive growing areas. We will also be visiting the compost area to see how we turn garden and farm waste into a valuable resource for the garden.
A wonderful opportunity to ask questions, and get tips from their experienced growers, that will help in your allotment or garden at home. And it includes a glass of organic cordial.
Hold the date – Wednesday 16th August 2023 at 2 pm!
Join Waltham Place Garden Team for a walk around the Kitchen Garden and Market Garden to see how they manage their productive growing areas. We will also be visiting the compost area to see how we turn garden and farm waste into a valuable resource for the garden.
A wonderful opportunity to ask questions, and get tips from their experienced growers, that will help in your allotment or garden at home. And it includes a glass of organic cordial.
Book now: Saturday 1st July from 10:00 – 13:00 in the ECO Action Hub: Climate Fresk
You can’t fix what you don’t understand – luckily, the Climate Fresk turns climate science into a game! Played by over 1M people worldwide, this collaborative workshop allows you to understand the essential issues of climate change in order to take action.
Based on IPCC reports, you’ll learn how the climate functions – as well as the consequences of its disruption. Whether you’re a novice or an expert, you’ll learn a lot in just three hours.
This is how it works:
The workshop is based on a 42-card game. Each card represents an element, a cause or a consequence of climate change.
In teams, guided by facilitators, you have to find the cause-effect relationship between the different components of climate change. Collective intelligence will get you from one set of cards to the next!
This step-by-step reconstruction provides keys to understand the complexity and develop an overview of climate change.
All you need to bring is your joy, energy, and willingness to learn! Just make sure to arrive on time so we can start the workshop with the whole group, and plan to stay for the full 3 hours (there will be a short break in the middle).
Book now: secure your spot – Click the ‘Take Part’ button here: Climate Fresk
Tickets: offered at £10, £5, or free depending – best considered as a donation which we welcome but no donation is also fine.
Please read our short interview with ECO Action founding volunteer Sam Gibbins, who is running stages 331, 332 and 333 (Cookham to Windsor) on July 8th, and don’t forget to come and cheer her on!
What is the Running Out of Time Relay?
Running Out of Time is a 2,661km relay from Ben Nevis to Big Ben. There are a total of 366 stages, with stages ranging from 2-30km long. The relay runs from sunrise to sunset for 32 days and travels to 30 counties.
What can YOU do to support the runners and the planet?
Select one or more of the planet pledgesfrom the Running Out of Time website! There are over 30 to choose from.
Come and cheer on Sam and other runners / cyclists / walkers on the day!
Sign up as a Batonbearer yourself!
Interview with Samantha Gibbins, who is running in the colours of ECO Action
Why do you personally care about climate change?
When I finally opened my eyes to the real scale and severity of what our world could look like in one generation, especially on our current trajectory to 3oC+ of warming above pre-industrial levels, I was terrified. From an individual point of view I’m scared of how me and my family could be impacted, but I’ve seen that the future I fear is already a reality for millions of people in developing countries. I care about mitigating and adapting for climate change because I’m in a position where I can do something. Every person making a difference counts. Every 0.1oC we can prevent matters.
Of all the issues we’re facing today (climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, plastic pollution etc.) which one is most important to you and why?
Categorising these as separate issues is misleading as they are all so intricately connected and dependant on one another! I think that many people feel more comfortable thinking of these separately as it maybe feels easier to approach each issue independently and ‘tick off’ once solved. With this in mind, I think the biggest challenge is to shift people’s mindsets. We need more empathy in the world and appreciation of nuance to help us come together and work together with all of our differences. Because, however clichéd, it is together that we can make the biggest difference.
Which of the 32 pledges are you taking?
I’m “getting to my relay stage greener” with numerous trains, I’m going to “attend a local event for the Great Big Green Week”, and I’m “joining others in my local community to take positive action”!
Who is cheering you on?
The family contingent and some ECO Hub members!
What inspires you?
How many incredible people are working to make our world a better place. There are so many small scale and community initiatives dotted about, and so many people who are passionate about this when you start looking and getting involved. The ECO Hub is a perfect example of this – Climate Emergency Centres are dotted around the country; community energy projects are working to provide renewable energy to local areas (I can think of Maidenhead, Marlow and Reading doing this!); and local people are petitioning for our natural spaces to be protected or even better, rewilded. All of this gives me hope and inspires me to keep working for a better future.
